Rex Patrick (SA, Centre Alliance) Share this | Hansard source

I have a short set of questions before I conclude, just as a follow-up from yesterday, but very directly related to the Greens' amendment now. Yesterday I was talking about dinner functions that are held by major parties where people are invited to attend a dinner with a member of the party present. They pay substantial amounts of money for the opportunity to do that, several thousand dollars in most instances. Yesterday I was discussing the arrangements in place for these things, and I just want to go back to the point I was making. Again, I'm not directing this at Senator Cormann because I think he's a lone fish in this pond; it's simply that he has knowledge of his own circumstances. There surely must be a concern if you invite people to attend a dinner that will be attended by the minister, as opposed to the senator, as, in some sense, you are drawing people into a room on the basis that you are a member of the executive, in order to benefit the political party that sits behind that minister. I know you understand the line that I'm drawing, Minister. Again, what are the policies in relation to that sort of conduct? And have you ever been at a dinner where the promotion of that dinner mentioned the fact that the attendees of the dinner would be meeting or dining with Minister Cormann or the Minister for Finance?